Landing their first record deal with Twin/Tone in 1984, Soul Asylum recorded a total of four albums for the local label: Say What You Will... Everything Can Happen in 1984 (later reissued as Say What You Will, Clarence... Karl Sold the Truck), Made To Be Broken in 1986, While You Were Out in 1986, and the EP Clam Dip and Other Delights in 1988. The band then switched to A&M, releasing Hang Time in 1988 and And the Horse They Rode In On in 1990 under that label. Although they enjoyed some success as a live band, Soul Asylum suffered from low album sales and considered disbanding.
In 1992, they signed with Columbia Records to produce Grave Dancers Union, a record that would come to transform them from underground college rockers to international superstars. The first two singles off the album, Somebody To Shove and Black Gold, both came in at high positions at the Modern Rock and Album Rock charts, but it was the album's third track and it's video of missing teens that led them to their major breakthrough. Runaway Train peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, raised album sales to double-platinum level, and won Soul Asylum the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994.
In 1995, Soul Asylum followed up the success of Grave Dancers Union with Let Your Dim Light Shine, which climbed to #6 on the Billboard 200 and featured the #1 Modern Rock track Misery. After releasing Candy From A Stranger in 1998, the band members took a break from recording and didn't release a new studio album for the better part of seven years. During the interim singer Dave Pirner released a solo album and Dan Murphy toured and recorded with Golden Smog.
They reunited in 2004 to record their ninth full-length album, The Silver Lining, brought together by the news of Mueller being diagnosed with throat cancer. Up until this point, Soul Asylum had always included Murphy, Mueller, and Pirner, despite several line-up changes. This changed on June 17th, 2005, when Mueller passed away after finishing his work on several tracks on the new album. The Silver Lining was released in 2006 and dedicated to Karl Mueller's life and memory, with Murphy expressing that, "For me, this record is Karl."
In late 2005, ex-Replacements bassist (and current Guns N' Roses bassist) Tommy Stinson and former Prince drummer Michael Bland joined Soul Asylum in tribute to the late Karl Mueller. They completed their American tour in support of The Silver Lining in late 2006. In November and December 2006 they opened for Cheap Trick on their American tour. On March 10th, 2007, Soul Asylum joined Cyndi Lauper, Mint Condition, and Lifehouse to hold a concert to benefit Wain McFarlane, the leader of the legendary reggae band Ipso Facto, to help pay for the expenses of a kidney transplant.
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The Streets
Soul Asylum Lyrics
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It’s never ever discrete
But people just disappear
And the people you meet
They come from anywhere
But not just anywhere
They all got stories to tell
They all got secrets to keep
It may go get a fight
Start feeling insecure, you think it’s something you like
But as you’re passing by
You kinda wanna cry
You thinking ain’t a dream
It’s in your life
She keeps meoff the streets,
But she keeps me off the streets
She keeps me off the streets,
She keeps me off the streets,
So I was shooting this shit
Like I could handle it
Like I could live on the door
Running
And throw up crowd in a whole
Where it gets too cold
With nowhere to be and nowhere to go
And once to call my own,
Letting me someone, she’s in love with
Never cheat again,
And yet the lie’s a joke
But she keeps me off the streets,
She keeps me off the streets,
She keeps me off the streets,
But she keeps me off the streets,
Hot lava, when it finally breaks
Breaks over your head and leaves you on your way
Then she calls her dad and lies about the cash
And then she bails you out
And then you feel like an ass
Where have you gone,
Got the self, you got nothing to eat
I’ll see you on the streets
But she keeps me off the streets,
She keeps me off the streets,
She keeps me off the streets,
But she keeps me off the streets.
The song "The Streets" by Soul Asylum explores the overwhelming feeling of loneliness and isolation, which can be found while wandering on the streets. The verses suggest that the streets are never complete and people disappear without any trace. The people you meet are from anywhere and have unique stories to tell and secrets to keep, but all share the common experience of being lost. The song also touches upon the idea of meeting someone you like, but the initial attraction can eventually lead to feeling insecure. However, even in the midst of the chaos of the streets, the chorus suggests that someone has the power to keep the singer off the streets, prevent them from getting lost or caught into the wrong doings of the streets.
The lyrics take shape of the singer being lost and alone, without any direction or purpose. The bleak reality of the streets is reflected in the lines, "With nowhere to be and nowhere to go, And rooms to call my own, landing with someone who's in love". Additionally, the song touches upon the sense of guilt and confusion that often comes with being lost and alone. The line "Then she calls her dad and lies about the cash, And then she bails you out, And then you feel like an ass" suggests that while trying to find salvation, one might unknowingly end up hurting others and feel guilty about it.
Line by Line Meaning
It’s never quite complete,
That feeling of completeness and wholeness is never truly attained
It’s never ever discrete
Life is never completely separate from everything else
But people just disappear
People come and go without explanation or reason
And the people you meet
The strangers you meet along the way
They come from anywhere
They can come from anywhere in the world
But not just anywhere
But they're not just anyone
They all got stories to tell
Everyone has a unique life story
They all got secrets to keep
Everyone has secrets that they keep hidden
And meet by someone you like
And you might just meet someone you like
It may go get a fight
But it might lead to a fight or argument
Start feeling insecure, you think it’s something you like
You may start feeling insecure, but mistake it for excitement
But as you’re passing by
As you continue on with life
You kinda wanna cry
You might feel emotional or overwhelmed
You thinking ain’t a dream
You realize that this is your reality
It’s in your life
This is your life now
She keeps me off the streets,
She helps keep me out of trouble and off the streets
But she keeps me off the streets
She continues to help me stay out of trouble and off the streets
So I was shooting this shit
I was talking nonsense, pretending to be tough
Like I could handle it
Pretending like I could handle anything
Like I could live on the door
Like I could survive on my own
Running
Running away from problems
And throw up crowd in a whole
Trying to find belonging and acceptance
Where it gets too cold
But things can get too cold and lonely
With nowhere to be and nowhere to go
Feeling lost and directionless
And once to call my own
Wanting something to call your own
Letting me someone, she’s in love with
Letting someone you love into your life
Never cheat again,
Promising to never cheat again
And yet the lie’s a joke
But the promise was a lie, a joke
Hot lava, when it finally breaks
Problems can build up like a volcano and erupt at any moment
Breaks over your head and leaves you on your way
It can hit you hard and leave you to deal with the aftermath
Then she calls her dad and lies about the cash
She makes a desperate call for help and lies to her father
And then she bails you out
And she helps you out of trouble
And then you feel like an ass
But then you feel guilty and ashamed
Where have you gone,
Feeling abandoned and lost
Got the self, you got nothing to eat
You have yourself, but not much else
I’ll see you on the streets
Suggesting that things will go back to how they were before
But she keeps me off the streets
But she is still there to help keep me out of trouble and off the streets
She keeps me off the streets,
She helps keep me out of trouble and off the streets
She keeps me off the streets,
She continues to help keep me out of trouble and off the streets
But she keeps me off the streets,
But she is always there to help keep me out of trouble and off the streets
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID PIRNER, DAVID ANTHONY PIRNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind